This invention relates generally to hair trimming appliances. The invention relates more particularly to powered hair trimming appliances having means for removing odd length and untrained hair strands.
Hand-held powered hair trimmers are known and have been used for trimming a person's hair. In one form of trimmer, a motive force is derived from an electrically energized motor for imparting reciprocating motion to cutter teeth which extend from a segment of the hand-held device. The cutter teeth which travel in a reciprocating path are advanced through the hair style and strands of hair which extend between the teeth during the travel of the cutter teeth are sheared. One such appliance which provides for limiting the length of hair being cut is disclosed in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 825,335 filed concurrently herewith and which is assigned to the assignee of this invention.
At times it is desirable to smoothly trim a hair style or a beard by removing straggling hair strands or cowlicks which resist conforming to a combed hair style. This type of trimming of a hair style has previously been accomplished by manual barbering techniques which require a degree of skill acquired only after extended practice. Known hand-held, powered hair trimmers are unsatisfactory in the performance of this trimming operation by untrained users since a high degree of control skill is necessary, particularly in view of the rapid shearing action of powered cutter teeth which can result in an undesired alteration of the hair style.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a means for smoothing a hair style, a beard of the like with a powered hair trimmer.
Another object of the invention is to provide a means for operating a powered hair trimmer as a smoothing hair trimmer.
Another object of the invention is to provide a means for use with a power hair trimmer which facilitates the smoothing of a hair style by the removal of straggling hair strands and cowlicks.